Select a serviceContent production
The phrase ‘content production’ sounds a bit like a sausage factory so I am not that keen on it, but it’s the terminology that the content marketing industry uses, so I am stuck with it for the moment.
At Global Stories we don’t so much ‘produce content’ we create it AFTER we’ve had a real conversation with our clients to understand and identify what their key messages are and who are the people (aka key/target audiences) they want to create a conversation with. Only after we’ve nutted this out together with our clients do we research, ask questions, interview people and think about it all. From this focused and wide-ranging thinking we craft stories.
The stories we create a tailored to the platform they are being created for. The relevant media could be a book, eBook, blog, white paper, website, webinar, podcast etc, corporate timeline, speech, series of articles . . .you name it. Whatever the platform each unique piece will link in to an overall corporate story. It’s abit like getting a DNA strand to sequence properly so that it “zips up” the right way, so that the entire strand builds a complete picture. Each story is important and each one reinforces and is an integral part of the whole story.
By working closely with you to understand your key target audiences and themes upfront we’ll get to know you better, understand your story, personality, style and tone. By taking the time to do this the story we craft for you will resonate with you and your audiences. It’ll also save you time and money and improve the resonance you achieve in terms of engagement and return on investment.
To blog or not to blog? That is definitely NOT a question that is ever asked in the content marketing/corporate storytelling world of today. Whenever I think about blogs my mind goes to the iconic WWII poster with Lord Kitchener and the byline, ‘Your country needs you.’ What’s the connection, you ask? We’ll, you need your blog for your business IF you want to grow it utilising the power of the web.
If you’re not a writer, this is a scary thought unless you call me.
As a corporate storyteller before the term really hit the mainstream, I can write your blogs or show you how to write your own through www.thebookadviser.com.au
To be honest, it’s much better if you write your own as a blog is really an expression of your knowledge and personality and that’s what people, clients, potential clients and customers, your peer group, influencers and the media really want. If you just know that writing isn’t your thing, that’s when you can call on me.
For many consultants and SMEs thought leadership papers or white papers are a terrific way to build profile and awareness for their business.
There's a great deal of debate about how long such papers should be, ranging from 500 words to 2,000 words. I would recommend somewhere between 1,500-2,000 words. After all, if you have a new insight, want to share original research or present a new perspective on your particular segement you need to substantiate your views, interpretation and knowledge.
There is, however, no debate about the quality of the content required for a white paper. If you don't have anything new, insighful or original to say, don't bother. There's way too much ordinary content out in the world already and if you want to stand out your content has to be outstanding.
I've worked with a number of consultants, SMEs and larger companies on their thought leadership program as well as researched and written the papers and identifed where the best opportunities are for getting the papers reviewed and commented on. It's important to remember that it's a medium-term commitment. One thought-leadership piece won't make you a thought leader.
Call me on 61 (0) 400 800 056 if you'd like to discuss your needs or email: jaqui@globalstories.com.au
Not ready to write a book, but want to start getting your ideas, IP or thoughts out there to your current and potential clients, or start establishing yourself as an expert commentator – the ‘go-to’ person – in your sector? I can help you write your articles by showing you how to plan, structure and write them. You might be surprised how quickly you learn this skill.
Another option is to work with me and I can write your articles. To do this, we’d need to meet so we can have a real conversation about what you want to write, what your style and tone is, what you want to share, who you want to share it with and why they’d be interested engouth to take the time to read what we’ve written.
I’m not the Dunkin’ Donuts version of content. I care passionately about the quality and relevance of what I craft for my clients because words matter. I bring 30 years of publishing, writing, business knowledge, owning a business (aka securing sales), a thirst for learning together with the ability to synthesise information and express it.
The art of speech writing. Know to whom you are speaking to!
I developed my speech writing skills in the best possible school – politics. I was in my mid-20s and my goal was to become the first female Prime Minister of New Zealand. Writing a good speech was an important skill to have in the political kit bag.
As it turned out I didn’t become the first female Prime Minister of New Zealand. Instead, I travelled to Sydney, researched and wrote a book about entrepreneurs and business and then started a corporate publishing company before anyone knew what this was.
But, I can still write a great speech.
Given that most people will look at your website before they do anything else (even before looking for you on LinkedIn), it's absoutely critical that your website content is the best it can be, and I am talking about the content of the website.
Most people and businesses focus on the design and look of their website and are less concerned about the words. Here at Global Stories we're focused on both as the words and the design work together to deliver the overall first, second and third impression of you and your business.
The About Us page is the most viewed page of all on websites, so it's particularly important that this page is outstanding. It needs to be clear, concise, engaging and have a call to action. You need to be able to connect with the person reading it in about 45 seconds otherwise they'll most likely look elsewhere.
It's also important to make sure your website content aligns with all the other content about you/your business across other platforms, LinkedIn, Facebook, industry association websites etc. If you're not delivering a consistent and clear message, albeit slightly repurposed for each of the platforms, people will become confused about who you are and why they should choose to work with you.
Words matter now more than ever. Take the time to create and deliver them carefully or call Jaqui on 61 (0) 400 800 056
All the world loves a plan. The biggest challenge with them though is actually following them. This applies to content marketing plans more than pretty much anything else in business today.
As a writer I bring a different perspective to the content marketing plan requirement. To me it’s simple. Whose going to write the content for the plan?
Unless you can answer this essential question there’s no point creating a plan. That said, I’ve been waiting for over 30 years to find a use for my Masters degree in Russian politics. Perhaps this is it. The ‘top-down’ content marketing plan that takes absolutely no account of what the demand is for the content, who is going to decide what the content is and who is going to build it?
Yes, there are hundreds of free content marketing plan templates you can download for free but they don’t deal with the key issue that faces most SMEs or consultants. Who is going to create the content? Or in simple terms who has the time to research, write, edit and manage the articles, posts, white papers, ‘thought-leadership’ pieces you need?
If you want a content marketing plan that is constructed based on the reality of your business, your resources and, perhaps even your capacity to deliver, talk to me, we’ll develop a focused, realistic, do-able content marketing plan. Send me an email: jaqui@globalstories.com.au
